Baseball is America's most traditional sport, played with a bat, a ball, and nine players on each team. The game unfolds on a diamond-shaped field where a pitcher throws the ball toward a batter, who tries to hit it and run around four bases to score a run. When the batter hits the ball, fielders try to catch it or throw it to get the runner out before they reach a base safely.

Baseball moves at its own pace, without a clock, which gives it a distinctive rhythm. A game might last two hours or four, depending on how long it takes to complete nine innings. Each inning gives both teams a chance to bat and score runs. The team with more runs after nine innings wins.

The sport has shaped American culture for over 150 years. Families spend summer evenings at ballparks eating hot dogs and cheering for home runs. Players like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron became national heroes. The phrase three strikes and you're out comes from baseball, and people use it to mean you only get a certain number of chances before facing consequences.

When someone throws you a curveball, they've surprised you with something unexpected, named after a tricky pitch that curves as it approaches the batter.